Conventional duplicators are capable of making multiple tape copies of program material derived from a master (this technique is known as "dubbing"). The duplicator comprises a main deck for a master recording and a number of slave decks into which multiple recording media, such as cassettes, are placed. Programming reproduced from the master is recorded on all the slaves simultaneously. Various controls enable audio or video programming copied from the master to be tailored for reproduction on the slaves.
The art of dubbing is relatively well developed. Commercial equipment, such as the DP-4050 series of cassette-to-cassette copying machines by Otari Corporation of Belmont, Calif., is capable of making a relatively large number of duplicates from a master by connecting a master and a number of slave units in tandem, each unit carrying ten duplication cassettes. Other examples are found in Rehklau et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,206 and Fukuoka U.S. Pat. No. 4,628,370.
While generally satisfactory for the purposes intended, these and other duplication systems are deficient in certain respects. For example, the recording tape onto which duplicates are made generally has a length of tape leader that is resilient but nonrecordable. On the other hand, the tape used as the master generally has no leader. Accordingly, when the master tape and a number of slaves are loaded in a duplicator, the operator must take precautions to avoid dubbing from the master to the leader portions of the slaves. The operator may advance the slave tapes by manual control to bypass the leaders and then begin dubbing from the master. This procedure can be unacceptably inconvenient when many (up to 100 or more) copies are being made simultaneously.
As another example, duplicators of which we are aware are not capable of making multiple copies of a live performance. The utility of live performance multiple copy duplication equipment can be appreciated from the following. It often is necessary to distribute a large number of duplicates of a program immediately following an event, such as a seminar or concert. In conventional duplication, a good quality master is made from the live performance. After that, multiple duplicates are made by dubbing using commercially available cassette-to-cassette duplication systems of the type previously described. Because a considerable amount of time is required to make a large number of duplicates from the master, it is not possible to distribute the duplicates immediately following the event. Copies are mailed to the attendees or audience following the seminar or concert to fill orders.
To enable program copies to be distributed immediately, duplication equipment must be capable of making a very large number of copies simultaneously. The equipment must be capable of "foolproof operation," as any operator error or equipment failure will prevent the copies from being available for sale or distribution immediately following the event. For example, if the equipment is capable both of dubbing and recording from live performances, a situation can arise where an operator may encounter confusion when controlling the equipment to dub or live record. If the operator inadvertently controls the equipment to carry out live recording to all cassettes while also dubbing from a master, the equipment will record from the microphone on all tapes including the master.
Another deficiency found in duplicators known in the prior art is in lack of ability to record segments of a live performance to individual tapes of a bank of tapes in staggered or random fashion. For example, it may be envisioned that the live performance is a concert given by children where the children give solo performances some of the time and play together other times. Parents may desire to have recordings of the concert when the children play together and portions when their child plays solo but not when other children perform solo. Available equipment is not capable of personalizing recordings in this respect.